No matter the odds, Peter wasn't about to give up. He had lost too much, caused too much suffering for it to end here. The weight of the responsibility to those he held dear bared down on him. He had to see this thing through.
The Lizard pounced first; a quick shot of his web blinded the reptilian man having seen his double use this strategy earlier. Another line of web misdirected the creatures wild swing at Electro.
"Hey!" Electro managed to shout, having to dissipate to avoid the animalistic slash.
Even in his small moment of victory there was no time to rejoice. Immediately Peter had to dodge the incoming blades the Goblin has so kindly thrown his way, there was no pause in his manoeuvres, constantly moving to avoid everything that was being hurled his way.
He grasped what was left of a desk, using it to catch the last couple blades he was unable to physically dodge. With the blades embedded within his makeshift shield, Peter threw the tabletop back at the Goblin, who deflected it easily with his forearm.
As soon as the object left his grasp Peter flipped, Electro's blast of electricity striking the floor where he had been and dissipating.
Peter was fully aware that had to be careful. Though his three attackers where fully concentrated on him, he feared his doubles would become collateral.
Now behind him the Lizard swept his tail trying to knock Peter's feet out from under him. He jumped, web finding a solid piece of ceiling swinging him up, giving him an angle to land a kick to the Goblin's face, knocking him from his glider.
"Enough!" Max cried out, an electrical blast encompassing the entire room, shocking everyone in the vicinity.
Peter was exhausted, the side of his face to the floor, breathing heavily.
His hand clutched his side in agony, the webbing having come loose in all the commotion. Through hazy vision, he could see his counterparts beside him, as motionless as the last time he had laid eyes on them.
Peter squinted his eyes closed, sweat making the cuts on his face sting.
A slow clap echoed "You put up a great fight kid. Bravo." The Goblin was clapping as he approached. He crouched in front of him, taking a handful of Peter's hair in his hands, pulling his face up. "Now tell us where the box is."
Peter said nothing. Still fighting to catch his breath from the fight that had just concluded.
"I'll get him to talk." Max stepped up from the back, eyes and hands again being engulfed with yellow sparks darting off him in random directions.
"Be my guest." The Goblin dropped Peter's head, Peter unable to keep it lifted, his chin dropped to the floor.
Suddenly the blaring of the fire alarm defended the room, the emergency sprinklers on the ceiling going off, dousing everyone instantly. With a cry Electro's charge zapped everyone in the room in a blur of yellow then orange before the world so kindly went black for Peter.
MJ was on her hands and knees gasping heavy, everything having happened so quickly, her lungs unable to keep up. From scrambling down the stairs, then watching Peter fight to protect the other versions of himself, to his eventual defeat. MJ couldn't stand by and watch.
"Portal now!" She ordered Ned whose eyes where wide beside her. Without hesitation she had pulled the nearest fire alarm, giving them the distraction needed to escape.
There arrival had been bumpy, tumbling out of the portal Ned had managed to create. She recognised where they were in an instant, the old stonework, the newly acquired tree within one of the ancient cells. They had returned to the Undercroft.
"Peter!" She called, seeing him laying as motionless as his masked doubles. Panicking she half crawled to his side. He laid on his back seemingly peaceful. His face was cut and sweaty, eyes closed, one hand resting on his stomach.
Her eyes flicked up quickly at the others. "Help them!" MJ looked back at Ned, again ordering the frightened young adult into action.
He stumbled over some words, only sounds of confusion and panic getting through.
"Ned!" She encouraged with a stern call. He finally sprang into action, having to choose between the two doubles he kneeled beside the closest, the older, newly suited, and masked.
MJ turned her attention back to her Peter, hands cupping his face. At this point the box she has been charged with protecting had been carelessly tossed to the side somewhere, being of little concern to her now.
"Peter please… you need to wake up." Tears welled in her eyes. She took one hand, planting it on his shoulder she shook him. "Wake up." She hissed through clenched teeth.
Beside Ned the man groaned as he began to come too.
"Mr… Sir? Sir Peter?" Ned tried to rouse the man, unsure what to do, or what to say.
Suddenly the man sat up, hand clutching his side, his other pulling the mask from his face. Immediately the man regretted the sudden movements, hunching over in pain he scrunched his eyes closed, teeth clenching back a groan.
"Where are we?" The man managed to ask through the pain. His face was bloodied a wound on his temple the cause. He lifted his right arm, inspecting a wound. A deep cut run along his ribs. He hissed again lowering his arm carefully.
"A wizard's basement…" Ned answered.
The older man nodded, taking a deep breath through his nose. "Could be weirder."
"Peter… Peter please." MJ cared little for the development of the doubles. She cared for her Peter, the one who laid before her, eyes closed. She just wanted him to wake up.
Unexpectedly the older man leapt up, little care for his own wounds though they did hinder him in his movements.
"Take it easy!" Ned tried to assist the man, but he shrugged him off, coming to kneel by MJ instead.
"Put pressure here." The man took her shaking hands, laying them on the wound on her Peter's side. Blood was seeping through webbing that had been used previously to stem the bleeding. As soon as she applied pressure Peter's breath hitched in response, making her recoil slightly. "Keep even pressure." The man pushed her hands down harder before removing his, leaving hers in the warm blood leaking through her fingers.
The man hobbled over to another version of himself, he pulled him from his side, laying him flat on the floor the first thing he did was peel back the mask, being careful with his head in the process
Blood ran from the young man's nose, a cut through one of his brows. The man leaned forward, ear over the young man's mouth, a hand on his chest.
"Is he breathing?" Ned asked, standing, unsure what to do to aid anyone.
It took a moment for the man to respond, hovering in place for a second. "Yeah. Yeah, he's breathing."
MJ rested her forehead on Peter's chest for a moment, at least some good news starting to manifest from the awful situation. She feared she had acted too late to save Peter, let alone his doubles.
Still hunched over the young man, the double proceeded to check his pulse.
"You, watch him for me." The man gestured to Ned, making him double check behind himself that it was indeed him the double was referring too.
Once content the double pulled away returning to MJ and her Peter.
"Let me." The man took hold of her wrist, gently moving her hands aside. She watched him peel back the webbing that had once bound the wound. The man then pointed his wrist, gesturing with his hand more webbing suddenly coated the wound, binding it once again.
MJ couldn't see web shooters on the man's wrists, though she spared little thought for this at the time with other pressing matters at hand.
"Is he…" MJ looked up the other young man lying on the floor, Ned having taken a place beside him. "Will they be, ok?" She asked the man beside her.
He sat back off his heels, finally taking a breath.
"If their… Well, if their me, then I think so." The man gave an honest answer.
"You heal fast?" MJ wanted to confirm, knowing her Peter possessed such an ability.
He nodded with a small smile of confidence; blue eyes genuine.
She simply nodded back, question having be satisfactorily answered.
An awkward amount of time went by in silence. The only awake Spider-Man taking the moment of reprieve to rest. He webbed his own wound under his arm, the area seemingly extremely painful, a cut possibly not his only injuries.
"Norman, he got the drop on me… Last thing I remember was fighting on the roof. An explosion?" The man racked his brain for answers, his memory faulty and unhelpful.
"Looks like you took a heavy hit, might explain it." MJ pointed to her own temple, her Peter's head now resting on her lap.
The man's gloved hand hovered up over to where MJ had gestured, finding the wound he slightly recoiled upon contact.
"That would explain it." The man sighed, blinking away the pain.
"The Goblin. You know him, he's from your world?" They had spoken on this briefly before but of course she had more questions.
"Yes." He looked her in the eyes.
"You've stopped him before; you can do it again even without the cure." It wasn't much of a question than the explanation of facts. She knew the fate of Norman Osborn, having discovered the truth from their earlier prisoners.
Though the man kept eye contact he hesitated with his reply. "I couldn't save him before."
MJ was clutching at straws, the box coming to mind again, an end to all. Their plan was nothing more than a shattered hope, everything they had been through seemingly for nothing. But pressing that button, giving in. In ways it meant May's death was for nothing. A conclusion she knew Peter would never be able to recover from.
She looked down at Peter, hand brushing aside a few stray strands of hair from his forehead.
"I won't make the same mistake twice… I've been given a second chance after all." The man then added, making MJ's head snap up so their eyes met.
Seeing the smiling man gave her something she thought she had lost. It gave her hope.
"Peter. Peter Sir!" Ned's sudden frantic cries made her heart skip a beat. MJ unknowingly clutching her Peter tighter getting a very subtle groan from the man on her lap. "H-He… He.. I don't think he's breathing." Ned finally got out.
The blue eyes of the double went wide, he was up in an instant and back at the young man's side repeating the same process as before, this time resting his head on his double's chest at the end.
"He's still breathing, but barely." There was concern in his words.
"What do we do?!" Ned his hands out wanting to act but not knowing how.
"Hey kid, stay with us." The man ignored Ned, shaking his double whose breath was too shallow.
The shaking produced no response. "Sorry about this…" The man suddenly slapped his double round the face getting a gasp of pain in response.
The young man's eyes snapped open, darting up he threw a fist out in the older man's direction. He caught his fist mid punch.
"Hey! Hey it's ok." The man tried to soothe his startled double. The older man had a hold of the frantic double's wrist, stopping him from shooting up from all the adrenalines.
With his hair a mess on his head, lungs working hard trying to make up for their poor effort previously, he locked eyes with his double.
"We win?" He rasped a question, seemingly surprised by his own sudden desperation for oxygen.
"No." The man smiled, squeezing his counterpart's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
The double sighed sitting back, just focusing on getting his breathing to settle.
Authors Notes
Thank you for all the reviews so far! Always nice to know people are enjoying the story, hope this chapter was worth the wait!